Illness Spreads

4 in Illinois may have the mystery disease

SPRINGFIELD — The state Health Department is investigating whether four Illinois residents have contracted a deadly flu-like illness that has spread across the globe, officials said Monday.

The unidentified disease has infected nearly 200 people around the world in recent weeks, mostly in Asian countries.

Four people in Illinois are suspected of having the illness--two live in the Chicago area and two in MacLean County, said health department spokeswoman Jena Welliever. All have recently traveled to Asia.

Welliever did not know their conditions, but said all were resting at home.

Hospitals, clinics and physicians across the state were told last weekend to watch for patients who have recently traveled overseas and now suffer from respiratory problems and flu-like symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dubbed the illness "severe acute respiratory syndrome," or SARS.

Of the four suspected cases in Illinois, two have submitted blood and other samples for testing, Welliever said. Those samples will be sent to the CDC.

Health authorities have identified 14 "suspicious" cases of respiratory distress in the United States that may be linked to the mysterious illness. None of the cases has been definitively identified as the enigmatic illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

The agency has begun handing out cards at airports warning travelers from Hong Kong and other areas to contact authorities if they develop symptoms.

The World Health Organization has identified 167 cases of the disease.